Iconic mines, including Ekati and Diavik are now old, tired and running out of diamonds; they will likely both close soon. So far, operations that were designed to replace them aren’t faring well either.
West Virginia is dangling tax incentives for coal miners in an attempt to revive operations in Coal Country, but Contura Energy Inc. isn’t swayed just yet.
A mix of political populism, higher commodity prices and the expectation electrification will spur demand for raw materials has led governments to change the rules for miners operating in their countries.